


The Last Head

by Dishwasherbum



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Bobbi and Skye friendship, F/M, Happy Ending, Ward being mysterious
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-23
Updated: 2014-12-23
Packaged: 2018-03-02 22:49:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2828825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dishwasherbum/pseuds/Dishwasherbum
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This was written for toneofsurprise for the AOS holiday exchange! Prior to writing this I really hated Ward, but I actually bonded with the character and have a deeper understanding of him now! This will be my first fanfiction that I've actually completed and posted online. Any criticism would be greatly appreciated. Enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote>





	The Last Head

**Author's Note:**

  * For [skyefknward](https://archiveofourown.org/users/skyefknward/gifts).



> This was written for toneofsurprise for the AOS holiday exchange! Prior to writing this I really hated Ward, but I actually bonded with the character and have a deeper understanding of him now! This will be my first fanfiction that I've actually completed and posted online. Any criticism would be greatly appreciated. Enjoy!

The air was brisk and ominous outside. So much so, Skye found herself for what seemed like the millionth time that day longing to escape the floating confinement of the BUS. She'd always loved this sort of weather, the grey clouds helped her focus, clear her mind of the day to day stresses she couldn't seem to escape.

She sighed.

Her need for escape rooted deeper than just a petty love of the skies. She knew this. Really, it's hard to ignore when that reason is sitting no more than 10 feet away from you.

An entire week has passed and Ward still subtly refused tell her what was clearly eating him from the inside out. Every time she'd made an attempt to engage him in conversation, ( and by this point she'd tried a wide range of topics), he supplied her words stripped naked of even the slightest emotion. He'd been sulking through the corridors with slumped shoulders, a mere shadow of the normal grace and power he illuminated of with each stride he’d take. It was killing her.

Sighing, she got up and stalked over to his still form, tracing his line of vision to a mass of stormy clouds. He didn't even appear to notice when she placed a comforting hand on the folds of his neck.

"Hey Robot, what's up?" She chided light heartedly in her best efforts to sound normal. It's to her understanding that when dealing with people in a state such as his, tiptoeing on the delicate state of their emotions only makes things worse. Treat them like you always do and they'll pour their heart out to you as their way of gratitude. She has to remind herself this as she slides in the seat beside him with slight traces of hesitance.

"Just thinking," Ward mumbled absentmindedly as he rubbed his thumb in small circles over her thy.

"About?"

Hearing the genuine concern laced in her tone, he begrudgingly pried his attention from the depths of his mind to Skye. 'God, she's so beautiful' he pondered, noticing once again the way her skin seems to always glimmer with a blinding beauty, no matter where she is. He doesn't deserve something so breathtaking and pure, not after...

"Grant, please. Talk to me, I'm worried about you." His mind must have wandered off again, he realized as she stared at him expectantly with those big, beautiful brown eyes of hers. 

"It's nothing, Skye, really-"

Suddenly the door swung open and there stood Coulson. From an outsider's perspective, his demeanor would be read as calm and collected, but Skye could instantly tell from the years she spent bonding with the man that something was wrong.

"Skye. Ward. I need you two now. Something urgent has come up."

She spared a quick glance at Ward before pushing herself up and hurrying to catch up to Coulson, who was already rushing down the hall towards his office. 'What is so important that has AC so anxious?' She wondered internally.

Ward, on the other hand, meekly accepted the task without a trace of doubt or bewilderment, prepared to do whatever his boss asked. 

At least that's normal, Skye thought distractedly. Ward never seemed to experience the buzz of anticipation and curiosity she possessed whenever a new mission presented itself.

At last, they had reached Coulson's quarters. She hardly ever came in here; ever since he became the director all those years back, company became something he craved less and less.

"Sit, you two."

Evidence of his impatience was about as clear as hacking into S.H.I.E.L.D's systems (very, laughably, easy). He rocked back onto the balls of his feet as he stared at his team.

"Sir? What happened? Is it Jemma? Did something happen to the baby?" Instantly her mind leaped into a pit of every nightmarish scenario possible. Oh god, something must have gone wrong-what if the baby died? What if Simmons died? Why else would Coulson seem so stressed as if he was dreading what came next. Oh god oh go-

"Skye! Relax, Fitzsimmons are fine. In fact, I just spoke with Fitz. They're settling down nicely. the baby is developing fine, they just had a checkup, no complications," Coulson deadpanned.

She let out a collected breath she hadn't been aware of taking, her best friends were fine. But then...

"What's bothering you, sir?" Agent Trip asked. Skye jumped; she hadn't even seen him and Bobbi standing there in the corner. 

"We've located the last Hydra base." He wasted no time beating around the bush.

"Sir that's wonderful!" Bobbi chimed, everyone else nodding as well. Skye practically felt her tension deflate inside her. Hydra had plagued her team for years, but none more so than Ward. He'd never admit to it, but more often than not, she heard his muffled whimpers wheezing out of his mouth in dead of the night, where nightmares lurked at every corner, or seen the way his entire body grew rigid at the mention of his former alliance.

"Unfortunately," Coulson continued, dragging her out of her thoughts, "this will not be an easy mission."

Did such a thing exist? She couldn't trace the last time any of them had gone on an 'easy mission.' There was always the threat of danger, the sinking knowledge that you might utter your last words on this one, that you might never return. They all knew and accepted this. After all, nobody signed on for this job for security, so then why would Coulson even bother bringing to attention the possibility of hardships.

Oh no...

There was an awkward silence in the room, no one really knew what to say. Finally, Coulson spoke again.

"Now, here's the problem."

__________________________________________________________________________

Skye crept along the terrain, Bobbi trailing silently behind her. Her heart was beating rapidly, this was it. The source of years worth of suffering could be traced back to Hydra, and now they were about to finally cut off the last head.

Over her years as a field agent, she had developed an unparalleled sense of focus. She was able to completely detach herself, almost as if she was releasing her spirit into a place of elsewhere and leaving her body to work on autopilot. She never hesitated, just acted. Otherwise, she knew without a doubt she wouldn’t be able to do it, to knock people out with a swift kick to the head or even, on rare occasions, draw fire to silence one for good. Even so, guilt would still gnaw on her bones when she returned to her bunk at night as she would think about all the faces she took down.

But now, as she loomed closer and closer to the base, clutching her gun as if it was her lifeline, her mind kept trailing. Her duty would be easy enough, knock a few of the hydra thugs out, steal their outfits, enter their hideout, produce a distraction, she had done the same procedure on countless missions prior with no complications. It was Ward who occupied her mind with a bone chilling fear.

Ward, who was number one on Hydra’s kill list as he was the one responsible for the fall of numerous of their bases, who was tasked with taking the guards protecting their leader out, who was supposed to fire the bullet to eliminate the last of their enemy, had immediately volunteered to take the brunt of this particularly hurdling mission upon his shoulders with a hardness locked in his eyes Skye had not seen present since he was still Garret’s puppet.

She knew why he had wanted to do this. It was obvious in the rapid silence of which he threw his life on the line with every base they took down. She knew with utmost certainty that he still, even after years of her reassurances and forgiveness, blamed himself for S.H.I.E.L.D’s struggles, that he felt solely responsible for its downfall, and that he would never forgive himself until he took down every single member of Hydra.

Even then, Skye doubted he would ever fully hold any room for self respect. In his eyes, he was a monster, undeserving of love and concern.

It was for this reason that her stomach twisted itself into thousands of tiny little knots, sucking all the blood with it as she paled in fear. Something felt off, her mind was screaming warning bells.

“Skye, you ready?” Bobbi whispered from behind her, sparking Skye to jump tensely. God, she really was off, she never, never jumped in the field.

“Yeah, uh, yes. Yes, I’m ready. You?” She replied in attempt to recollect her composure. Now of all times was not the time to get distracted. Focus, Skye! Ward will be fine, he can handle himself, surely... 

Bobbi moved forward with the grace of a predator, the thirst for victory gleaming in her eyes. “Never been more ready in my life. Let’s go!”

With that the two lept from the safety of the long strands of the swaying grass into the dangers of the of the simmering sun. In front of them was a raggedy, one story warehouse, wood rotting away from the blistering heat and mites, windows smashed out with fragments of glass littering the dirt.

Suddenly a high pitched beeping blared around them. It was the most horrid sound Skye had ever heard. She collapsed to the ground, clutching her ears in desperation as the clamor increased in intensity. Louder and louder and louder, surely her eardrums must have burst by now, and there was nothing but the sound, that horrible sound. Nothing else. Where was she? Why was she lying down? Or was she standing? She had lost her sense of place, no concentration, no scents, no sight, just the blood bubbling up and out of her ears, sticky and warm as it slid through her fingers. She might have been screaming, she couldn’t hear over the pitch.

And then there was a strong pair of hands on her, pulling her along. No, did she not hear this? How could this person possibly have the capability to move when the wretched noise was clinging to her every tendon, immobilizing her for what must be forever. No. No no no. Walking is not possible. How is this person walking.

But somehow, for reasons years in the future she still can’t quite place, she managed to, just barely, open her eyes into a pained squint, enough to see a woman, Bobbi, mouthing her name, quivering slightly in the blaze. Skye, she is mouthing, Skye Skye Skye.

She’s pretty sure she mouthed something else as well, but lip reading had been high on her lists of talents. Her mind is running, flipping, screeching, and it took every fiber of her will to pry her hands, which are embedded deep enough in her skin by now to leave a mark, from her ears into the air. She’s shaking all over.

Bobbi just barely managed to grasp onto her hand, clutching onto it with as much strength as she can muster, yanking her off the dirt. Somehow they managed to trudge along, hand and hand, forward forward forward until at last, at long last, relief flooded her very being as the heavens practically opened up from above. The sound had stopped, but a buzzing remained consistent in her ear, dulling her senses.

The duo stare at each other, both still twitching, before sharing a single nod and bursting into the warehouse.

That’s when the guards burst through. There’s at least seven. 

And her gun lies outside, blistering away in the sand.

“Skye, get down!” Bobbi yelled, drawing her gun which she apparently had been smart enough to bring with her. All at once bullets danced across the air, toying with each other as they pounce upon the wall and skid over hair. Bam Bam Bam, everywhere and all Skye could do is watch helplessly from the floor.

Bobbi ducked, narrowly missing the death’s breath while she slid across floor, kicking one of the guards in the knees. He tripped, gun skidding across the room and Bobbi wasted no time in shooting the soldier, already darting to her next target as his bloodcurdling screams gurgled across the air.

Skye stared at the fallen gun as if it is her lifeline. If she could get to it...

From what seemed to appear from thin air, the shadow of a looming guard lurked above her, gun pointing directly at her head. Without a second to spare, she jumped to the side, further away from her desired objective. Unfortunately, she was not fast enough and the bullet brushed across her flesh, pulling a chunk of skin straight off. Pain became the only thing she could process, and yet she kept crawling. She needs, needs, that gun.

Finally, over what felt like a million lifetimes, her shaky hand gripped the pistol tightly to her body. The trek only worsened her wound, and the blood was bubbling out like an active lagoon. For a moment she sat with a void expression, slightly dazed, before her common sense kicked in hard and in a flash she was on her feet, shooting blindly.

She could feel her mind drifting in between the fine lines of consciousness, and nearly drops her gun. Try as she might, she was fully aware of how very human she was, and her wound was impossible to ignore.

Despite the ache in her ears still present and the pain clouding her fighting abilities, years of experiences had resulted in heightened senses. It was for this reason that she could sense, not quite hear, someone coming up behind her. Without sparing a second’s glance, she mustered all of the remaining strength she possessed, and fired the trigger as she spun around.

And watched Ward claw at his chest, where a red goo oozed out, before collapsing to the ground as if he had paper for bones.

She screamed a scream so loud, so heart wrenchingly terrified, even her comatose ears cowered at full force.

_________________________________________________________________

Ward walked through the eerily silent halls. It was odd, he had expected at least a dozen guards to be on his tail, but thus far hadn’t even encountered one.

“This is weird, man,” Tripp voiced his thoughts aloud from behind him.

Of course, it was possible Skye and Bobbi had simply conceived a particularly troublesome distraction for the guards to wrestle with, but it seemed highly unlikely for them to all leave the hall. This was their leader after all and they were the last living people sided with Hydra. Why would they leave the leader unprotected, throw their own lives away?

And then it hit him.

“Tripp, You don’t think this is a trap, do you?” He asks in a slow tone.

“A trap? It’s possible I suppose.”

“No, it makes perfect sense,” he says, more to himself than his partner. “Tripp, think about it! We’ve- uh, Coulson, has been their number one enemy for years now. He’s the one who’s basically wiped out their population, it only makes sense that they’d want give him a false tip. They wanted us to come here!”

Trip was thoughtful for a moment, chewing on the proposition laid before him. What Ward was saying might very well be true, but it was hard to admit that they’d fooled so very easily. “So now what?” He finally replied. “They fooled us, dragged us to kill us, presumably. Where are the guards then? I’ve yet to see one even attempt a go at us.”

He was right, and that was what was troubling the specialist. They hadn’t been lured her for the scenery. Surely by now they should have been attacked.

And then, like a dam shattering into millions of tiny fragment, the water of realization flooded down upon him, chilling his bones to a crisp brittle.

“Oh, God. They must be after Skye and Bobbi, we need to go find them, we need to help, now!” He’s rambling in a fit of hysteria. If Skye dies, he’d never be able to move on.

Trip had never been one for dawdling over the little details. Hearing members of his ragtag family were in danger was all the boost he needed to take off along Ward. He could see how much distress his friend was in and it pained him.

“Ward! I heard gunshots down this hall!” Ward had already headed in the given direction before he finished his sentence, determination bubbling in his eyes and gun held high. Trip followed.

The trek towards what might just be his sole reason for existence boiling in a splash of her own spilled blood was positively torturous. So much so, he nearly stumbled twice, as if his own anger had roped his feet together.

At last, he and Tripp rounded the last corner to the root of the sounds of slaughter. He had never run so fast in his life, but he still scolded himself for wasting so much time. ‘You need to be FASTER! She could be dead, and it would be completely your fault!’

The scene unfolding in front of him was ripped from climax of his darkest nightmares. Bobbi was single handedly taking on dozens of soldiers, dancing through the battle ground with the grace of a dancer. Despite this, it was evident how much she was struggling; her movements were growing slower, a little sloppier, yet she never hesitated, she just kept going going going.

Where was Skye?

He scanned the room frantically, and, much to his deep dismay, found her curled up on the ground, ebbing towards would he could just make out to be a gun, leaving a trail of blood in her wake.

Blood. She was bleeding heavily, with no medical staff, only one ally with her, at the utter mercy of her foes remaining distracted by her partner. He stood quivering in shock for a moment before being yanked from his fear by Trip running in front of him, prepared to join the blood bath.

What on earth was wrong with him? Skye was spilling her blood on the floor and here he was standing here like an idiot. God, he was so incredibly stupid.

He reflected Tripp’s actions, darting forward and screaming Skye’s name. She didn’t appear to hear him, but he never got to confirm this because suddenly a swarm of soldiers noticed him. 

Back to back, he and Tripp fired their pistols in all directions, throwing in the occasional kick or punch to those who opted for a more hands on approach to their deaths.

Mercy had miraculously bowed its wings down to him. Through sheer luck, he, Bobbi, and Tripp had managed to take out all the guards surrounding them. Bodies littered the ground in blotches of bloody bits, and he barely concealed a shutter.

Ward then turned his attention to Skye, who seemed to have no sense of awareness of their victory illuminating around her as she achingly crawled towards the gun. 

“Skye!” He yelled, running towards her. “Skye, skye!”

She didn’t so much as twitch in acknowledgement, and suddenly the pistol was in her grip. In what clearly was a great source of pain and determination blended together, she retched her body off the ground and twisted it until she was facing him.

“Skye-” Abruptly, he was cut off. Pain pierced his every tendon, nerve, and bone as he felt himself collapse to the ground in a twisted angle. Control seeped through the pores of his clammy skin while he convulsed on the ground, spit flying out of his mouth.

Figures danced around his vision, someone was cradling his head. In a slowed blur of speed, he felt his mind drift away, slipping into the warmth and relief of oblivion.

And then he let completely go.

________________________________________________________________

She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes. Before her Ward lied motionless, unrecognizable with the many tubes protruding his body, keeping him alive.

She did this, this is her doing and no one else’s. God, god, if he died at her hands...

The thought was too much to bear, the grief simply too much to swallow.

The doctors had been hopeful, claimed his chances of recovery were very high as they wheeled him out of the operation room, so they assured her as every inch of her shook. Of course, their words did very little to quench her guilt and fear, especially once they actually let her in the room with him and she saw the state she put him in. His breaths were shallow and his heart beats were thready.

“Ward, I’m sorry, I’m so so sorry.” She knew he couldn’t hear her, but she felt the need to at least attempt to repent for her blunder.

Coulson and Bobbi had repeatedly tried to reassure her that none of this was her fault, the former even going as far as to blame himself since he had been the one to send them on the mission, but she could see the pain in both of their eyes as they all waited for news of their fallen teammate. She and she alone was solely responsible for all of their pain, and possibly even Ward’s demise.

When the doctors had finally granted her permission to visit him, she very nearly collapsed from relief.

Minutes folded into hours and hours somersaulted into days. She barely ate, barely slept, barely even processed any thoughts. How could she when Ward might never think a thought again?

After three gruesomely cruel and agonizing days, his eyelids fluttered, ever so lightly but still there nonetheless. Then came the rest of senses in a painfully long coughing fit. She quickly reached for the cup of ice beside his bed and soothed a sip into his mouth.

“Sk-skye,” he coughed meekly, eyes squinting under the bright lights.

“Ward, I’m here, I’m right here,” she grabbed his hand and gripped it tight. The confusion on his face slowly morphed into something of utter disgust, indefinitely directed at her. She drew her hand back, bowing her head in pure shame.

“Oh god, what happened? I just remember you bleeding on the ground, and then nothing,” he questioned worriedly. 

Huh? That wasn’t right, he should be screaming at her, furious at her, how can he possibly even look at her right now, let alone be worried about her?

“I-I shot you. I swear it was a mistake, I swear. I didn’t even know you were in the room, I just heard bullets and someone coming up behind me, my hearing was impaired at the time, and I just acted on impulse. I’m so stupid, I know you won’t ever want to talk to me agai-”  
He interrupts her desperate rambling, “Skye, shut up. I’m not mad at you. It’s a mistake anyone could of made, and trust me, that was far from my first bullet. I’m fine! It’s you I’m worried about, how’d we get out of there?”

His unparalleled selflessness never ceased to baffle her. “ Well, after I... after I shot you, I collapsed myself from the blood I lost.” He starts to interrupt, fear evident on his features. “Oh, don’t worry, it was just a superficial wound, I’m patched up already, but you and I will both be out of the field for a while. Anyways, after I collapsed, Coulson actually contacted Bobbi to inform her that we needed to withdraw immediately because the tip off had been fake. A little bit late for that, I guess.”

 

He smiled at that, and it’s something so beautiful and rare, she can’t help but smile back. “He got there as fast as he could, but Tripp and Bobbi feared it was too late. You had lost so much blood. They took you to the nearest hospital and immediately went to surgery. I had to get stitches and was out for a few hours. You, on the other hand, have been out for three days now.”

They sat in a companionable silence for a few moments, both mentally elsewhere after both coming so close to losing the other. Suddenly, a thought occurred to Skye.

“I almost forgot! What was it that was bothering you this past week?” He looked uncomfortable, as if she was treading on a very dangerous topic.

“I- uh, well, it’s just,” He gulped, pausing for a few collected seconds before continuing, “I didn’t really want to do it this way, but, here goes nothing I guess. Skye, you are the reason I am where I am today. You believed in me, gave me a second chance even after everything I did. Every day I wake up wondering how I ever got so lucky to meet someone so perfect. I never have and never will deserve you, but I can promise you that I’ll never stop loving you for as long as I live. Would you be as gracious as to except my hand in marriage? I don’t have a ring, I’m sorry, we never had time to land.”

For the second time that day, her eyes welled up with tears, this time out of pure joy. Had it not been for the machinery surrounding her, she would’ve given to her concealed squeals urging her to hug him. She knew if she did, she just might never let go.

“Oh, Grant. Of course I will. Yes.”   
He smiles once again, and they sit, staring into the other’s eyes. They know there will be danger in their future, including plenty of more near death encounters, but at that current moment, none of it mattered. Their very presence was plenty enough.

**Author's Note:**

> Well, there it is. Thank you for reading! I hope to improve the more I write, and really appreciate feedback. Happy holidays!


End file.
